Vehicle-wheel.



W. L. HOWARD.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1909. 932,862.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909 2 SHEETS-SH-EET 1.

{52mm/franz;

W. L. HOWARD.

VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1909.

Patented Aug.v31, 1909..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a 'jfl im s ATTHNE YS WILLIAM L. HOWARD, 0F TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

VEHICLE-WEL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug., 3l, 1909.

Application led January 7, 1909. Seria1 No. 471,037. l

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM L. HOWARD, a citizen of the UnitedrStates, and a resident of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Vehicle-VVheel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improve'- inents in wheels having removable rims, and more particularly to the mechanism for rigidly locked the rim in place yet permitting of its ready removal.

My invention is particularly adapted for vehicle wheels having pneumatic tires carried by the rims, the object being to facilitate the removal of the rim and the tire and the substitution of a new rim and tire in case of puncture or other injury to the tire.

My invention consists in the forming of the felly of a plurality of sections movable in respect to each other, so as to grip the rim and at the same time to lock it against either axial or circumferential movement.

Reference is -to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which- Figure 1 is a section through a wheel constructed in aceordance with my invention, the section being taken in the plane' of the wheel; Fig. 2 isfa side elevation of a portion of the wheel; Fig. 3 is a section taken at right angles to the plane of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an edge view of the wheel, the rim being removed.

In my improved wheel I may employ any suitable form of hub 10 and any suitable form of spokes 11 for the felly 12. In the specific form of felly illustrated, I employ an inner annular member 13 secured to the outer ends of the spokes and having rigidly secured to the periphery thereof a metal band 14, constituting a second annular meme ber. Encircling the band 14 and rigidly secured thereto I provide a third annular member 15, the peripheral surface along approximately onehalf the circumference of which engages directly with the inner surface of the removable rim 16. The rim 1G differs in no essential particular from the ordinary clencher rims commonly used, and the radius ofcurvature of the inner surface of the rim is substantially the same as the radius of curvature of approximately onehalf of the annular vmember 15. This portion of the annular member 15, illustrated as the lower half in Figsl, 3 and 4 of theV drawings, may be made up of separate sections or may be provided with openings 1T, to reduce the weight of the Wheel, land may be provided with other openings to receive studs or projections 18 on the rim, a locking bolt 19 for a tire-holding member 20,and a valve stem 21'for the tire. The projections 18 closely t their apertures and serve to prevent any circumferential movement. et.

the rim in respect to the felly, and alsoftf f.

prevent any direct axial movement of one in respect to the other.. The loclring bolts 19 of the tire-holding members 20 may also` serve the same purpose or may be relied upon exclusively to secure the desiredobj ect. The opposite half of the annular member l5, that is, the upper half shown in the drawings, is provided with two substantially parallel annular side flanges 22, 22, having their outer peripheral edges in the arc of a slightly smaller circle than the inner periphery of the rim, so that they do not quite contact therewith. The portion intermedi-- ate of these two side flanges isA cut away, so as to leave annular channelswithinywhich are disposed twomovable gripping members 23, 23. Each of these two members is in the form of aband section and each is of a width substantially equal to the distance between the two flanges 22, 22. The outer surfaces of the two gripping members 123, 23 areadapted for frictional engagement with the inner surface of the, rim, and the members are so constructed that they may be moved radially to effect this engagement with the rim and the resultant gripping action. For' moving the members 23, 23 radially, Iprot vide means for moving them circumferen-A tially over cam surfaces, which forces them' outwardly. Each member 23. at its end adjacent the other member, isrigidly secured to a nut section 24, and disposed between the vends of the two members and engaging with the two nut sectionsis a spreading'member 25. This spreading member has one end provided with a right-hand thread forengagement with one nut section 24 and the V opposite end provided with a` left-hand thread for engagement with the other nut section 24, and intermediate of the ends of the spreading member is a worm wheel 2G in engagement with a worm 27 carried by a short rotata ble. member 28 extending through radial movement by the action'of cams carried by the annular. member 14 upon its outer surface, and coacting cams carried by the gripping members 23 upon their inner surface. As shown, the annular member 14 is provided with outwardly-extending blocks 29, arranged alternately with inwardly-.extending blocks 30 carried by the gripping members 23. The coacting surfaces of these blocks are arranged at such an angle that when the 'members23' are forced apart, each block 3() will engage with one block 29 to force the membe/s 23 outward radially,and when the membeis 23 are drawn toward each other, the blocks 30 will engage with the undercut oppositesurfaces of the blocks 29 and be dra'wn inwardly.-l`n order that both ends of each member 23 maybe forced outward radially to the saine extent, it is necessary that the camsurfaces of dthe blocks 29 nearest to the spreading member 23 be nearly tangential'and thatthe cam surfaces ofthe blocks farthest from the spreading member be more nearly radially disposed.

In securing a rim to the felly, the gripping members 23 are drawn toward each other. to the limiting extent and the rim is then set at an angle to the plane of the folly and the valve stem 2land the projections 18 brought approximately into place. rllhe upper edge of the rim may then be moved vto bring it into the plane of the felly, and by applying 4awrench or other tool tothe worm-carrying member 28 and rotating the latter', the members 23 may bev spread apart, and at the same time moved outward radially to grip the inner surface of the rim and positively prevent its displacement. As the felly at a peint midway between the spreading member and the valve' stem, is of approximately the same. diameter' as the inner surface of the `rim, it is necessary that the locking bolts 19 of the tire-holding members 2 0' shall have slots or grooves 31 provided therefor and 'eX- tending to oneedge' of the member l5, as indicated particularly in Fig. 4. F or locking the portion of the rim adjacent the gripping members 23 against longitudinal movement in case of the accidentalloosening of the gripping members, I preferably provide the rim with inwardly-extending studs or' projections 32, normally held within bayonet l slots 33 in the outer surface of the members .23. The anges 22 are provided with openings or recesses 34, through which these studs ceases or projections may move while the rim is being placed in position, and the circumfen ential movement of thel lockingmembers in the bayonet slots will positively prevent the studs from passing outwardly through'these 7o openings, 'unless the locking 'members be moved award each other to the limiting extent.

In the specific form illustrated in lthe drawings, one-half of the wheel is formed of three separate annular members 13, 14 and.` 15, all rigidly secured together and having concentric surfaces. :inasmuch as these members are never moved in respect to each other during the operation of removing or -replacing a rim, it is evident that it is only essential that one member present a 'surface for engagement with a portion of the inner surface of the-rim, and that gripping members be moved ciicumferentially and radially to engage with other portions of the inner suI'-, face of the rim.

Having thus described my invention, 'I claim as new and desire to `secure by 'Letters Patent:

l. A wheel havind a felly and a removable rim, a member carried by said folly for envgaging with a portion of the inner surface portion of the inner surface of the rim, said gripping members presenting inner cam surfaces for eecting the radial movement dur ing the circumferential movement.

'2. .A Wheel having a felly and a rim, a member carried by the felly and presenting a series of cam surfaces, two gripping members adjacent Asaid cam surfacesand engage ing therewith, and a spreading member intermediate of said gripping members for spreading them apart circumferentially and causing their radial movement by" their engagementwith said cams.

3. A wheel' having a -felly and a removable 110 rim, two outwardly-extending iianges carried by said felly, a seriesl of cam surfacesV intermediate of said flanges, and a member intermediate of said flanges and. movable circumferentially over said cam surfaces to 1i5 'felly and presenting a surface for engagement with a portion of the inner surfaceof theriin and having a recess therein, a stud carried by said rim for engaging within said recess and. foijlocking the rim against-circumferei/itial' movement, and a gripping member movable circumferentially vto engage eaaeaa with another portion of the rim to grip the latter, said last-mentioned member having a bayonet slot therein and said rim having a` second projection for engagement Within said bayonet slot, to lock the rilm against axial movement upon the circumferential movement of the gripping member.

5. A wheel having a felly, a removable rim, two gripping members movable circumferentially intermediate of Said felly and rim and each having a cam surface 'for moving the same outward radlally 'during theI circumferential movement, a'sprea ding meml ber intermediate of said gripping members WiLLiA'M L. Hovvaan `Witnessesz CLAIR W. FAIRBANK, JOHN P. DAVIS. 

